Hotel ZaZa Austin

The street noise does carry into the rooms since the hotel is in a busy part of town. I’m a light sleeper, but it didn’t keep me from sleeping. If you’re sensitive to noise, I’d bring a white noise app downloaded. We thought the hotel was closer to five stars than four, and I travel a lot and can be picky about where I stay. We booked through Amex and got upgraded to a suite at check-in. It was lovely, comfortable, and decorated with care, with every detail considered except for a full-length mirror. Group Therapy was nicely decorated too, and we had a good meal there. The bar staff were great, and the spotless fitness center was very well done. We also liked the classy touches of a daily coffee bar on our floor and afternoon tea in the lobby. The staff were perfectly fine, kind when greeting us and helpful when we needed them, though not the over-the-top service you might expect from a five-star hotel. ZaZa impressed us, and we’ll absolutely stay again.

They closed the pool for a private party right when we arrived, which cost the hotel a star. I don’t understand that. The pool or hot tub is part of the hotel amenities and included in the room price, and we chose this place because it has a nice pool. The hotel itself looks nice, our room was clean, the location is very convenient for walking around downtown, and the staff were friendly and welcoming.

The room was quiet at the end of the hall, with a comfortable bed, a quiet HVAC system, and a temperature that got wonderfully cold quickly. The blackout window coverings made it super dark at night. The bathroom was big with plenty of counter space and a super soft robe, though it had only one sink. Shower pressure was amazing, but the sink pressure was poor. The gym was clean and well supplied, but got hot quickly because there were no fans. In the late afternoon, the lobby had yummy large chocolate chip cookies in individually wrapped bags. Group Therapy is a clever name for a bar. Check-in and checkout were quick and efficient.

For a hotel costing over $500 a night, I expected more. The rooms were just okay, maybe a little below what the price called for, and the service felt like a courtyard. I’d recommend an Omni or Austin Proper instead. At check-in, nobody welcomed me or explained anything, including the Wi-Fi code. There was a small reservation mistake, and the response came across as judgmental. My luggage wasn’t brought up, and after waiting 30 minutes I had to go back down to the lobby to retrieve it. It was just sitting there. The coffee on my floor ran out, so I went to the front desk to ask for more. At 10:05, I got a snarky reply that coffee service ends at 10, along with a suggestion to go to floor 7. At the pool, there was only one waitress, and I had to flag her down for every request. I felt bad for her, but it still wasn’t a good experience. My room was also missed for bedmaking and towel replacement. In general, asking the staff for anything made me feel like I was bothering them.